This Is How A Man Should Be
by Makhazol
Summary: Naruto watches as Lee sacrifices his life to save his friends. One-off.


Just some inspiration I was struck with. I'm not one for writing fanfics, never done it before, but I felt this needed doing, if only to work the image that'd been bugging me all day out of my system. Put it up here for the heck of it, so enjoy if you want.  
  
Makhazol  
  
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This Is How A Man Should Be  
  
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They filled the horizon. All the village must have been assembled, he thought. And to just kill us?  
  
Naruto chuckled slightly at this. Normally he'd say something about him deserving it and kicking all their arses. Things had gotten beyond that.  
  
He glanced down again. Thankfully, Sakura's bleeding had slowed somewhat, putting her in less immediate mortal danger. Besides the imminent army that was. Sasuke wasn't so lucky. Seeing the blood from the wound in his rival's chest had soaked through the bandage, he quickly tore off another one to replace it. He had to get them back to the village, and fast. There was no way he'd be able to stop that army. But if he ran now, they'd just catch up to him before he reached safety. And without warning of this, Konoha was doomed.  
  
"Naruto," came a voice. He looked up quickly to see Lee standing up, the fallen body of Neji beside him. Naruto looked at the green-clad Genin with the unspoken question in his eyes.  
  
Lee shook his head. "He's gone." Tears filled Naruto's eyes, and he clenched them shut as he bowed his head over the body of his teammate. Another of his friends, gone. Was he so weak that he could not even protect his friends?  
  
"So... so what do we do now?" Naruto asked, quietly. "They'll be here soon."  
  
Lee turned away in answer, and hesitated before speaking. "Since the exams... since that incident... you know as well as I do that I can never be what I once was." Naruto opened his mouth, about to ask why Lee was talking about this now, but thought better of it and closed it again. "I've tried... everyone's been begging me, so I tried to live like this... but I can't. I can't live like this, knowing what I could have been and what I lost."  
  
He turned to face Naruto once more. "Gai-sensei understood. He was the only one who understood. He taught me only one thing more, knowing that this day would come."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He taught me how to open the Eighth Gate."  
  
Naruto stood suddenly in astonishment. "But... if you... won't you...?"  
  
"Die? What does it matter? I was dead the day I knew the extent of my injuries. By doing this, I can buy you time to escape with Sasuke-kun and Sakura-san. Then you can warn the village of this."  
  
Naruto clenched his fist in anger. "What about me? I can fight them too! I'll beat them all!"  
  
Lee smiled. "You need to get away. You need to save your friends and your village."  
  
"But... why can't..." Naruto faltered.  
  
"You have your life still to live. You have your friends to live for and cherish. And you still have to become Hokage."  
  
Naruto lowered his head, acknowledging defeat. A wry thought struck him. "You did say you'd protect Sakura-chan until you died."  
  
"Looks like I'll be able to fulfil that promise."  
  
The blond-haired boy knelt down, and carefully slung Sakura over one shoulder. He reached for Sasuke, then hesitated. He looked back over his shoulder at Lee for the last time.  
  
The image would be burned into his memory for the rest of his life. Across the plain, to the backdrop of the sunset, were hundreds of enemy ninjas. Yet against this stood the sole figure of Lee, his left arm behind his back while his right hand was extended towards the enemy in his traditional stance. Even seeing the odds arrayed against him, he stood there confidently and without fear.  
  
As Naruto looked on, his friend turned his head to look back at him. He was surprised again to see the boy smiling, a smile more genuine than he'd ever seen on Lee's face. His lips parted slightly and, like it had done so many times in the past, the sunlight glinted off his tooth.  
  
Then both boys turned away, and Naruto slung Sasuke over his other shoulder, stood, and ran towards the woods that lead to home. As he left, he caught the faintest whisper of the last words noone was meant to hear.  
  
"Everyone..."  
  
"...thank you." 


End file.
